


In his Daughter’s Eyes

by Ellana17



Series: The Family You Choose [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s12e06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox, Family Feels, M/M, The Winchester Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 08:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13430526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellana17/pseuds/Ellana17
Summary: Five times people thought Dean was Claire’s dad and one time they realized he kind of was.





	In his Daughter’s Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> So I’m finally posting the last installment of the series.

**1\. Claire’s friends (technically, they are Alex’s friends)**

Claire’s hands shook as she scrolled through her contact list in search of Dean’s name.

“Close the door, dammit!” Alex yelled to the boy sitting in the back seat.

The car shook as he closed the door forcefully.

“Go! Go!” Claire exclaimed as Alex started the engine.

Alex pressed the gas pedal and the car jerked forward. Claire lifted the phone to her ear.

“Come on,” she whispered. “Pick up, pick up.”

Next to her, Alex sped up and checked into the rearview mirror. “I think we lost it,” she said after a few seconds.

“What was that thing?” Alex’s friend – Maggie – asked, hysterical.

Claire did not answer.

“Claire?” Dean finally said over the phone.

“Dean!” she exclaimed. “Dean! We’re kind of in trouble here. I went away for the weekend with Alex and a couple friends. Jody said I had to socialize more, you know. Anyway, we were having a good time but on the way back home something attacked us. I don’t really know what it is, though. I would have ganked it myself but I sprained my ankle and Alex’s friends are with us.”

“You need to get as far away from this thing as you can,” Dean told her hurriedly. “Where are you right now?”

Claire turned to Alex. “New Mexico,” the blonde finally answered.

“Okay, that’s good,” Dean told her. “We got friends there who’ll keep you safe, okay?”

Claire nodded. “Okay,” she exhaled.

“Good. Don’t stop driving, don’t get out of the car until you get there, understood? I’m texting you the address right now. And once you get there, don’t leave their house, you understand me? I’m coming to get you.”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

“Text me when you get there.”

Claire nodded silently. Then, she realized that Dean could not see her. “Will do.”

“Your dad is coming to get us, right?” Maggie said in a small voice after Claire hung up.

Claire caught the girl’s gaze into the rearview mirror. “He’s not my dad,” she stated. “But he knows what he’s doing, we’ll be safe with him.” She looked down at the phone buzzing in her hand. It was a text from Dean. “Looks like we’ve got a place to crash,” she told Alex.

 

**2\. Hunter husbands**

Claire practically jumped into Dean’s arms when the man walked inside the house.

“Easy there, kiddo,” he said, surprised. “You okay?” he asked quietly.

Claire nodded. Then she caught sight of Castiel standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Castiel!” she exclaimed, bemused. She hugged the angel quickly, not leaving him enough time to return the hug even if he wanted to and then proceeded to punch him in the arm. “Where have you been?” Would it have killed you to call once in a while? Or even send a text! I know you know how to send a text,” she accused.

“I’m… sorry, Claire.”

“Well that’s not good enough!” she exclaimed before storming out of the rom.

Cas shot Dean a disbelieving look. “I’m not sure I understand what just happened,” he said.

“Teenagers, man,” Dean stated as he clapped Castiel’s shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, she’ll come around… eventually. Alex!”

“That’s not very reassuring,” Cas mumbled as Dean hugged Alex briefly.

“She missed you a lot,” Sam told Cas. “Good to see you, Alex.”

“Thanks for coming, guys,” Alex told them sincerely. Then she turned her piercing gaze to Cas. “So… you’re Castiel, huh.”

Cas frowned.

“So what happened?” Sam asked as the awkward silence stretched. “Where are Jesse and Cesar?”

Alex shrugged. “They’ve been trying to explain monsters and demons to Maggie and Jake for hours. I’m afraid they might have fried their brains.”

Sam nodded sagely. “It’s a lot to take in,” he agreed.

“Yeah, whatever,” Alex rolled her eyes.

They heard footsteps down the hall as Jesse and Cesar made their way to the newcomers. They exchanged handshakes and greetings.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Cas said with a piercing gaze.

Jesse cleared his throat awkwardly. “It was nothing.”

“Yeah, thanks, dude. We’ll get out of your hair now,” Dean added.

“What are you going to do about the thing that attacked them?” Cesar asked. “Do you need some more hands?”

Dean shook his head. “Nah, we’re good. Thanks for the offer, though. Cas is going to drive the kids home while me and Sam go back to find that thing.”

“I’m coming with you,” Claire said from where she was leaning against the doorframe of the living room.

“No, you’re not,” Dean countered at once.

“If you don’t take me with you, I’ll just borrow Jesse’s truck and follow you anyway,” she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Cesar chuckled. “Cute kid you have there,” he pointed out.

“A pain in my ass, that’s what she is,” Dean stated, glaring at the girl.

Claire stuck out her tongue at him and Dean immediately copied her.

“Dean!” Cas exclaimed reproachfully.

“She started it!” Dean countered at once. Claire gasped.

“I don’t care you started it!” Cas informed him.

Dean was about to reply but froze when he heard Cesar chuckle. Dean cleared his throat.

“This isn’t over!” he told Claire, pointing a finger at her.

The girl rolled her eyes at him before grabbing Alex’s arm. “Come on, let’s get our things.”

“I don’t think she’s leaving us much of a choice,” Sam underlined once the girls disappeared in the other room.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, Cas you took your car so you can drive Alex and the other two home while Sam and I go back with Claire and…”

“No,” Cas countered.

“What do you mean no?”

“I’m staying with Claire,” Cas stated.

Dean took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. Sam you can drive the kids home.”

“What? No way.”

“So what do we do then?” Dean exclaimed, clearly loosing patience.

“I can drive them,” Jesse said finally.

“You sure?” Dean asked.

“Of course. You guys go back there, you kill that thing and make sure it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Cesar and I can drive the other three home.”

“That’d be great, thank you,” Sam said in earnest.

“No way,” Alex exclaimed, walking back to them, bag in hands.

Sam frowned and Claire shot the girl a disbelieving look. “I’m not going with Mr. and Mrs. Comatose, there,” she explained, pointing to her friends who had been staring into nothingness for the past few minutes.

Dean and Sam exchanged a surprised look. “Well, that’s a first,” Dean stated. “What the hell,” he shrugged. “The more the merrier.”

Alex and Claire made their way to the Impala with their backpacks while Dean thanked Jesse and Cesar once more for their assistance.

 

**3\. The nice waitress**

All five of them had stopped to a local diner on the way. Claire had not said two words to Cas since they had been reunited, Alex had been mumbling about never escaping that life, whatever the hell that even meant, Sam and Dean had no idea how to handle two moody teenagers and Castiel had no idea how to handle humans in general.

“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” Dean mumbled as he took a look at the menu.

Sam nodded absent-mindedly without even looking up from his computer screen. Dean huffed in annoyance.

“What can I get you?” the waitress said as she came to a stop in front of them.

Each one of them mumbled their order, except Castiel who remained silent, much to the waitress’ surprise.

“Oh, and a beer for me,” Claire added as an afterthought.

“Claire…” Dean warned.

“Kidding. I’ll have a soda, please,” she told the smiling waitress.

“I’ll be right back,” the woman said.

“So check this out,” Sam started as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. “Turns out they found a whole lot of dead bodies in the past few weeks and nobody knows what’s happening. The local police officers are completely over their heads.”

“Yeah, no surprise there. Any clue on what we’re dealing with?”

Sam turned to Claire and Alex. “Any ideas? Anything you remember?”

Alex shook her head. “We already told you guys everything.”

“Yeah, there wasn’t much to say anyway,” Claire added. “We were taking a break from driving and then that thing attacked. We didn’t see what it was. We just started running, I guess.”

“Yeah, the details are a bit fuzzy,” Alex apologized.

“Eh, it’s okay,” Sam was quick to reassure her as the waitress came back with their orders. He thanked the woman and waited until she went away to continue.

“Can you remember anything else? Cold spots maybe…”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Claire reminded them all. Dean rolled his eyes at her. “Although…”

“Yeah, what is it?” Sam asked.

“I think I heard howling… before it happened, I mean. I’m not sure.”

“Howling?” Dean asked. “You mean like a wolf?”

“No, I mean like a dog or something.”

“Do you think…?” Dean asked and Sam shook his head.

“None of the victims were disemboweled,” Cas stated.

“Ugh! Yuk! What are you talking about?” Alex asked, scrunching up her face in disgust.

“Hellhounds,” Cas said simply. “They collect souls for Hell. They usually tear people to shreds. I do not think they had anything to do with this.”

“And I don’t think we should rule out any possibility, yet,” Claire countered, glaring at the angel.

“That soul collecting thing, how does it work exactly?” Alex asked. “Is it a Dementor thing or…?”

“Not really…” Sam said. “It’s…”

“Nerds,” Claire and Dean mumbled as one.

Alex and Sam huffed in annoyance and Dean nearly choked on his drink at seeing the twin looks of utter annoyance on their faces.

By the time they were done eating, they all had decided that the soul-eating monster angle was worth a shot. Claire excused herself to the bathroom. When she came back, her traveling companions were gone.

“Your dad’s waiting for you outside,” the waitress said.

Claire frowned. “The guy with the trench coat, you mean?” she asked.

“No, the cute one with the green eyes,” the woman said.

Claire rolled her eyes but did not bother to set the woman straight. There was no point anyway.

 

**4\. The whole damn store**

Sam and Alex had gone to the nearest motel to book a couple rooms for the night while Dean went to the nearest convenience store. Cas had decided to tag along – as well as Claire, to Dean’s utter surprise. The girl seemed still pretty pissed at Cas, Dean noticed. However, she seemed determined not to let the angel out of her sight. Teenagers, Dean thought.

“Hey, do you mind buying me this? I don’t have any cash,” Claire asked, suddenly appearing next to him in the aisle.

“Ask Cas,” Dean answered without looking at her.

“I already did, he told me to ask you,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Dean let out a sigh. The sound of quiet laughter suddenly made him look at the woman next to him. She was holding a young boy in her arms and gave Dean a knowing look. “Kids, right?” she seemed to say.

Dean got some bills out of his wallet and handed them to Claire. “Go crazy, kid,” he told her.

The little kid started wailing. “Good luck,” the woman told Dean as she walked away.

“You too.”

“I don’t know how to proceed with Claire,” Cas said right into Dean’s ear.

Dean jumped in surprise and took a step back.

“Dude, how- Never mind. Look,” Dean said, lowering his voice. “She’s pissed at you, but that’s actually a good thing.”

Cas scrunched up his nose. “I don’t see how this is a good thing.”

“Humans make everything needlessly complicated, right,” Dean reminded him. “Well, teenagers are worse.” Cas stared at Dean, clearly waiting for an actual explanation. Dean shrugged.

“She missed you, man,” Dean informed him. “But she’s too damn proud to say anything. She’s also too stubborn to make the first move and call you.”

Dean looked pointedly at Cas, willing him to understand.

“You’re saying I should be the one calling her?” Cas asked, unsure.

Dean patted him on the back. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“This seems… rather irrational,” Cas finally decided.

Dean smiled. “She’s a teenager, Cas. Of course she’s irrational. And of course, she expects you to have all the answers and will get mad at you when you don’t.” Cas seemed at a loss for words. “You’ll get used to it,” Dean told him before walking away.

They finally made it out of the store.

“Eh, can I drive?” Claire asked, her hand already on the door handle.

“No,” Dean replied at once, steering her away from the door as the girl huffed in annoyance.

“I didn’t let my daughter drive the car either at first,” said the man parked next to them. “But they grow up so fast.”

Dean gaped at the man. Then he climbed inside the car without a word and started the engine.

 

**5\. The actual king (and his mommy dearest)**

They had exhausted every lead they had and Claire was starting to get frustrated with the whole lot of them; Dean who treated her like a freaking child, Cas and his inability to act like a normal human being for once, Sam joking around and Alex not showing any emotion apart from contempt.

“This is pointless,” she groaned as she pushed the computer away. Sam nearly rose out of his chair to check on his precious laptop. “How come neither of you guys can read Spanish,” she asked, resting her feet on the table in their motel room and crossing her ankles.

“It’s been a while since Spanish class,” Sam pointed out. “And the only Spanish Dean knows is based on porno so…”

Claire made a face. “Dude, gross!” she exclaimed.

“Sam!” Dean roared, horrified. “Come on!”

Sam cracked up just as Alex and Cas made their way back inside the room with take out. The brunette frowned.

“I don’t even want to know…” she mumbled.

“Hello, boys.”

Alex jumped out of her skin and grabbed the nearest weapon – which turned out to be a bottle of beer. That did not deter her and her hold on the bottle tightened.

“Who’s that?” Claire exclaimed, jumping on her feet.

“Crowley,” Cas growled menacingly.

“Cas,” the man greeted. “Moose, Squirrel, Mini Squirrel,” he added. “My, my, flannel really is a Winchester trait,” he underlined calmly, noticing Claire’s outfit.

“And you are?” the girl glared.

“Crowley, rightful King of Hell,” the man answered with a flourish.

“King of Hell?” Claire snorted. “That’s actually a thing now? And what do you do exactly?”

Crowley smirked dangerously. “Let’s just say that if you want something really bad some day, you should come to me,” he told her mysteriously.

“Hey, you leave her the fuck alone, you hear me?” Dean growled, stepping in front of the girl.

“So touchy,” Crowley stated. “Sorry to interrupt your family bonding trip, boys, but I’m actually here on business.”

“What do you want?” Cas asked curtly.

“How did you even find us?” Sam added.

“You do realize you boys stand you, don’t you?” Crowley underlined.

“Crowley,” Cas warned, clearly loosing patience.

Crowley rolled his eyes. “Juliet got attacked on her way to collect a soul.”

“Who’s Juliet?” Claire asked.

Sam frowned. “Juliet? Your Hellhound?”

“And this concerns us… how exactly?” Cas added.

Crowley glared at him. “There’s a creature roaming free around here killing people and eating their soul. Stop me if I’m wrong but this is your sort of thing, right?” Crowley reminded them with contempt.

“Why do you even care about that?” Sam asked.

“I care because this monster is hurting my monsters,” Crowley stated.

“Oh, cut the crap, Crowley,” Dean growled. “What do you want, really?”

“I deeply care about my hellhounds! But that’s not why I’m here. This creature – whatever it might be – feeds on souls. Which some of their owners had sold! And which were supposed to be mine! But that creature got to them first. You can see how this is bad for business!” he growled. “I need to get those souls back. I need that creature alive.”

“Why don’t you send some demons hunt it down then?” Sam asked.

Crowley glared at him. “My boys are good, but let’s face it, they are no hunters,” he stated.

Sam raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Look,” Crowley said, barely managing to keep his calm. “You hunt that thing down, I get the souls back and after I’m done with it, you can hung its head in your house for all I care!” he concluded, voice rising.

“So you need us,” Sam taunted.

Crowley straightened his shoulders. “I don’t need you. Let’s just say that your assistance would be… appreciated.”

“Good. I think we’re done here,” Dean cut in.

Crowley stared at him.

“We’re not helping you get those souls back, Crowley. No way. They’re better off where they are. We’re going to prevent that thing from killing more people but that’s it.”

“Come on, help a pal out!” Crowley exclaimed.

Dean’s glare did not waiver and Crowley sighed in defeat.

“I see. Claire, Alex.”

The girls jumped at hearing their names. Crowley glared at Dean one last time before vanishing into thin air.

“The nerve on that guy!” Claire exclaimed. “I can’t believe you actually work with that douchebag.”

“We don’t really…” Sam stopped mid-sentence. He turned to Dean. “How did Crowley even know about Claire and Alex?” he asked, concerned.

“It’s Crowley, man. I wouldn’t put it past him,” Dean growled.

When a red-haired woman in a sparkly dress made her appearance in their motel room the very next day, Claire knew things were just going to get worse from there. The girl was not even surprised that the brothers knew that strange woman – whom they called Rowena. However, she was mystified to learn that the woman was an actual witch. That raised a few more questions to which Rowena was far too happy to answer.

“If you girls ever think about joining a Covent…” the woman trailed off, smiling sweetly at Claire and Alex.

“Oh, for the love of crap,” Dean groaned. “What do you want Rowena?”

The woman was the bearer of some news – bad news by the look of it. Claire tried to keep up with the conversation but she lacked some key elements like who was that Amara woman they mentioned. However, Rowena dismissed the idea immediately and informed them all with far more flourish than necessary that the monster they were looking for was called Ammit. Alex squeaked but no one paid any attention to her except Claire.

“What?” Alex said, noticing Claire’s arched eyebrow. “I was a bit of an Egypt nerd when I was a kid.”

“Go figure,” Claire mumbled. “Who is that Ammit guy anyway?” she asked Alex quickly.

“Ammit’s not a guy,” Alex informed her. “She’s a goddess who’s part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile.”

Claire made a face.

“I contacted one of my friend from back in the day,” Rowena told them. “We can work out a spell to locate Ammit but it won’t do us any good in the long run.”

“And why is that?” Dean asked skeptically.

“Because if Ammit is roaming free, it either means that Maât has gone completely bonkers or that someone is detaining her somewhere. We need to find her quickly or I fear we might find ourselves with another apocalypse on our hands, boys.”

Alex turned to Claire. “Maât is…”

“I know who she is,” Claire cut in curtly. Alex raised her hands in surrender.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose.

“First things first,” Sam said. “What do you need to work the spell?”

Rowena shrugged. “A few ingredients I won’t have any issue getting my hands on and one trifle, really. I need a soul,” she informed them. “Someone pure would be better. Someone who wouldn’t tip the scales.”

“In Ancient Egypt they thought that…” Alex told Claire quietly.

“God, Alex, would you shut up already,” Claire said forcefully. The blonde did not like where the conversation was heading at all. She had a bad feeling about this.

“How pure?” Cas asked.

Rowena’s finger came to rest against her chin as she thought. “Well, from what I gathered, it’s really more about intentions and genuinely caring about others,” she explained. “Something I could never quite understand.” Sam rolled his eyes at the woman. “Someone who would be willing to act for the greater good.”

Dean and Sam glanced at each other.

“Would an angel grace do?” Cas suddenly asked.

Dean and Sam turned to him in surprise.

“Dude, don’t even think about it!” Dean exclaimed.

Rowena turned to the angel. “An angel grace…” she reflected out loud. “It might be a tad too powerful,” she said. Then she grinned. “But with those kind of spells a little extra power can never be a bad thing.”

“Cas, you can’t be serious!” Dean exclaimed.

“I can live without my grace, Dean. A human can’t live without a soul.”

“That’s not strictly true…”

“Dean! I’ve made my decision!” Then Cas turned towards Rowena. “What do you need me to do?”

“I can’t believe this,” Dean mumbled before storming out of the room.

“Dean! Dean!” Sam called after him before following his brother outside.

Claire watched him go. She glanced at Cas talking with Rowena, then back at the door.

“Go after him if you want,” Alex whispered. “I’ll keep an eye on the angel for you.”

“Thanks,” Claire said, squeezing Alex’s hand gently before following the boys outside unnoticed.

Dean was pacing in the parking lot of the motel.

“I’m getting too old for that shit, Sammy.”

“Come on, you don’t mean that. That’s not even the first time we come face to face with an Egyptian deity,” Sam reminded him.

“Not my point.”

“So what’s your point then?” Sam asked. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I’m so fucking tired. Of that life. Of dragging everyone down with us. I can’t keep going like this.”

“Is this about Claire?” Sam asked quietly and the girl tensed. She took a step back and hid behind a wall.

“Yeah,” Dean acknowledged. “Claire and Alex both. It’s mostly about Cas, though,” he added. Sam nodded sagely. “Just when I thought… I’ve been so stupid.”

“Hey, don’t worry. Cas’ll be okay,” Sam reassured him.

Dean laughed bitterly. “Yeah, like all the other times he did something reckless, you mean.”

“Did you at least talk to him about… you know.” Dean shook his head. “Dean!” Sam exclaimed reproachfully. “You were supposed to talk to him! And I mean really talk!”

“I know, okay! I just… freaked out, I guess.”

Sam shook his head in disbelief. “You should talk to him.”

“Now’s really not the time for that.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Dean. I think now I the perfect time for that.

Claire slipped back inside the room.

The girl almost whished she had not called Dean at all. What a mess, she thought as they all gathered in the parking lot where Crowley and Rowena were both waiting for Cas to come with them. Claire barely registered that Rowena was apparently Crowley’s mother – fancy that. The girl launched herself into Castiel’s arms and did not let go. Rationally, she knew that Cas would come back. That did not mean she was not worried about him, though. Dean seemed to be facing the same problem.

“You better bring him back to me in one piece, Crowley. Or I swear…”

“Dean, I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t trust him,” Dean told Cas, eyeing Crowley warily.

“Then trust me,” the angel said quietly.

“Be careful, okay. Don’t do anything stupid.” Dean paused. “Cas, I…” He rubbed his face with his hand nervously. “Shit. Don’t make me say it, man. Don’t make me fucking say it.”

For once the angel seemed to understand the unspoken words between them. He grabbed Dean by the lapel of his jacket and crushed their lips together, not at all bothered by the fact that Claire was still very much clutching at Castiel’s arm.

“If I don’t come back,” Cas said quietly. “Make sure Claire is okay.”

“Cas…”

“Dean.”

“Okay, I promise.”

Rowena sighed. “Family,” she noted. Crowley and Rowena glanced at each other and shuddered in disgust.

 

**+1. The Winchesters**

They had finally made it back to the bunker in one piece. Well, not everyone was actually in one piece, Dean thought bitterly. Cas had sacrificed his grace so they could free Maât from her captors and Dean had no idea whether to be pissed at the guy or happy that Cas was human for good. They might just finally have a shot at being together. Look at him. Dean had always thought he would go down in a blaze of glory and now he was planning ahead and thinking about a life without hunting. They still had some loose ends to take care of and in truth Dean knew he could never truly leave everything behind. He did not want to. He was a hunter, always had been, always will be.

Dean needed to talk to his brother about the idea of opening up the bunker to other hunters. After all, they were sitting on a mine of information and had no one to share it with.

For once in his life, Dean knew exactly where he was heading, and it felt good.

Their little adventure with Maât had had a surprising effect; Claire seemed to have completely forgiven Cas. Unfortunately, the last few days also seemed to have cemented her idea of becoming a full-fleshed hunter. Dean had not taken the news too well.

“I figured I could go to college in Kansas,” Claire informed him. “I could train with you guys on weekends or something. I’ll only be a few hours away.”

Dean turned to Jody – who had joined them at the bunker to make sure Claire and Alex were alright – bemused. The sheriff did not look the least surprised by the news. Alex, Dean noticed, looked tensed but not surprised either.

“No,” Dean countered at once.

Claire frowned. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I mean no,” Dean said again. “We’re not training you. Period.”

Claire gaped at him. “You can’t do that.”

“Watch me.”

“Dean…” Jody said quietly.

“No,” Dean exclaimed forcefully. “No way. No fucking way.”

“What if one of my teachers gets possessed?” the girl asked suddenly. “Or if my roommate is a shapeshifter?” she added. “I need to learn how to defend myself.”

Dean took a deep breath. “Listen to me carefully, Claire. You don’t want this life. Trust me. You can still walk away. It’s not too late. You can go to college and have a normal life. A good life.”

“I do want to go to college,” Claire informed him calmly. “But I also know that there are things out there, things I can’t ignore!”

“You can and you will,” Dean shot back.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” the girl exclaimed. “You have not right to decide what’s good for me.”

“Take it from someone who’s been hunting his whole life. You can’t pick a case from time to time,” he explained a little too forcefully. “Once you step into that life, you can’t go back, you understand me? The job will take over your whole life until you have nothing left.” Dean might have missed the hurt looks on both Sam’s and Castiel’s faces, but Claire did not. “Back me up there, man,” Dean said, turning to Cas.

“Claire is old enough to make her own decisions,” Cas underlined and Dean turned to him in disbelief.

“Really, Cas? Come on!” Dean exclaimed. Cas, Claire and Sam were all looking at him expectantly. Dean shook his head. “No way,” he said again.

Dean stormed out of the room and went to the kitchen where Mary had been gathering drinks for everyone.

“Everything’s alright?” Mary asked. “I heard yelling.”

Dean let himself fall on the nearest chair. He absently stared at his mom as she pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him.

Sam entered the kitchen after his brother but remained silent.

“It’s just that Claire…” he started. “Claire wants to be a hunter,” he stated.

That life was not the sort of life anyone would wish for someone they cared about. Dean was starting to see Mary’s point.

“Dean,” his brother started. “I get it. I do. You want to protect her because you care about her. And she cares about you too, you know. You should talk it out with her instead of straight up forbidding her from hunting. I’m sure she’d come around.”

“Come on, the girl hates my guts,” Dean countered.

Sam rolled his eyes at him. “You know she doesn’t.” Dean huffed but did not answer. “You know she actually called me Uncle Sam the other day,” Sam suddenly said. “And it’s not because I’m the cool uncle type!”

“I don’t know, Sam,” Dean smirked. “You have this whole nerdy uncle look going on,” he added.

“Shut up,” Sam laughed.

Mary seemed hesitant.

“Mom?” Dean asked quietly.

“I know you haven’t had the best role models growing up,” she started, looking at her two sons. “We should have done better by you.”

“No, Mom,” Dean and Sam countered at once.

“You were great,” Dean added.

Mary smiled sadly. “I was- at the time. I can’t say the same since I came back… I keep screwing up.”

“Mom, that’s not true,” Sam told her.

“You’re afraid you might hurt her,” Mary went on. “But you’re great with her, Dean. You won’t make the same mistakes your dad and I made. Don’t get me wrong,” she added with a weak smile. “You’ll still make plenty of you own.”

They smiled at each other.

“You mind explaining what was that?” Jody exclaimed as she entered the kitchen.

Sam jumped slightly in surprise and Mary jumped on her feet.

“We’ll leave you two alone,” Mary said.

Mother and son hurried away, carrying a trail of food each.

“You knew about it, didn’t you?” Dean asked her.

Jody straightened her shoulders. “I did.”

“And you didn’t think I’d like to know what she was planning?”

“It wasn’t my place to say anything. I was waiting for her to come to you herself.” Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look Dean, you can’t expect her to sit around and do nothing while people are being hurt,” Jody said reasonably. “Besides, you sent her here to live with the Sherriff,” she underlined. “You shouldn’t be that surprised.”

“Alex leaves with you too but that she doesn’t mean she wants to become a hunter,” Dean pointed out.

Jody sighed. “Alex and Claire are very different, Dean,” Jody explained calmly. “Claire… she doesn’t want out like Alex does. Let her at least explain before saying no?”

“I don’t see what there is to explain,” Dean grunted.

“She asked me about criminology programs at university, Dean,” Jody told him. “Maybe it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have encouraged her.”

“She looks up to you,” he pointed out. “Look, Jody, thanks for taking such good care of her.”

“It’s my pleasure, really. Just promise me you’ll listen to her, okay?”

“I don’t like this,” Dean said.

“I know you don’t.” Jody squeezed Dean’s shoulder reassuringly.

Claire found Dean as he was washing dishes a few hours later. “Look, Dean,” she said more calmly. “I just want you to teach me how to protect myself,” she explained. “And I won’t give up until you say yes; I’m stubborn that way.”

“Only if you promise me not to hunt for a few more years, okay?”

Claire froze. “I… I guess I can do that,” she finally said.

“Good.”

Dean was caught off guard when Claire practically jumped in his arms. She hugged him tight before letting go quickly. “Thanks, Dean.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Now, shoo.”

Claire gave him a smile before running out of the room.

 

**A FEW MONTHS LATER**

Claire answered the phone as she watched the flames burn bright inside the grave.

“Dean, hi!” she exclaimed cheerfully. “Oh, you know, a group study thing,” she answered as she placed the phone between her cheek and shoulder, warming her hands over the fire. “Of course I’ll be back for Thanksgiving. Jody’s cooking, right? Wouldn’t miss it. Okay. Bye, Dean.”

As she hung up, Claire wondered how the hell was she supposed to get rid of a black eye before going back home for the holidays.

 

**THE END**


End file.
